Acquired Immunity

The immune system's adaptive immune system, sometimes referred to as the acquired immune system, is made up of specialised, systemic cells and processes that either destroy infections or stop their growth. One of the two basic types of immunity that may be seen in vertebrates is the acquired immune system. The adaptive immune system, which kills invasive pathogens, is similar to the innate immune system in that it consists of both humoral immunity components and cell-mediated immunity components. The adaptive immune system is very specialised to each unique pathogen the body has faced, in contrast to the innate immune system, which is pre-programmed to respond to common broad categories of pathogen. After an initial reaction to a particular pathogen, adaptive immunity develops immunological memory, which results in an improved response to subsequent encounters with that pathogen. . A crucial component of the adaptive immune system are antibodies. Adaptive immunity can offer enduring defense, sometimes for the duration of a person's lifetime. In some cases, such as with chickenpox, it does not provide lifetime protection; for instance, a person who recovers from measles is now protected against measles for the rest of their lives. The foundation of vaccination is this process of adaptive immunity.